Nutritional value and efficacy of water chestnuts

You may not have eaten water chestnuts, but when it comes to its alias, calla lily, everyone must be familiar with it. But do you know the nutritional value of water chestnuts ?

The growing environment of water chestnuts

Water chestnut is a perennial herbaceous aquatic plant that likes to grow in ponds or cultivated in paddy fields. It reproduces asexually using bulbs, also known as fruit balls. Water chestnuts like warmth, love humidity and are afraid of freezing. They are suitable for growing in loam with a soft tillage layer and a solid subsoil. In cultivation, a 20-25 cm tillage layer is required, which is conducive to the growth and development of the bulbs and does not cause the bulbs to drill deep. The individual development size is uniform and consistent, which is also conducive to digging. If the tillage layer is too sticky, it is not conducive to the expansion of the bulbs. If there is too much humus, the sugar content of the bulbs will be reduced and the sweetness will be poor. It is suitable for growing in shallow water. In terms of nutritional requirements, it requires less nitrogen fertilizer and more phosphorus fertilizer.

During the entire growth period, sufficient light is required. The entire growth process is as follows:

(1) Germination: When the temperature reaches 10-15℃, more than 80% of the bulbs can germinate, and at the same time, sprout stems will grow and leaf-like stems will grow upwards. When the seedlings have 5-6 leaf-like stems, new roots will sprout downwards.

(II) Tillering and division: The transplanted shepherd's purse seedlings from the end of July to the beginning of August will turn green in 3 to 5 days. The quality-keeping stem at the top of the germinating stem will grow leaf-like stems upwards, and through continuous tillering, a mother plant cluster will be formed. At the same time, its side buds will produce several stolons around. After extending 3 to 4 nodes and 10 to 15 cm, the terminal buds of the fleshy stems at the top will then sprout leaf-like stems upwards, tillering continuously, and forming new ramets. With repeated division and tillering, the cluster will gradually expand, the number of leaf-like stems will increase linearly, and the number of above-ground stems of one plant can be expanded to 300 to 400. Tillering and division occur fastest when the temperature is between 25 and 30℃. After entering September, the temperature gradually drops, and the accumulation of photosynthetic products gradually increases. The growth of the stolons changes from horizontal to oblique growth under the soil, commonly known as the "lower belt". After early October, no more phyllodes are produced. At this time, the tips of all the runners begin to swell and corms begin to form. The yield of water chestnuts depends on the number and size of the corms, which in turn is determined by the number of ramets and the number and quality of the aboveground stems. As mentioned above, tillering and rameting occur fastest when the temperature is 25-30℃, and one ramet produces a ramet every 10-15 days. In my area, ramets can generally occur in 2-3 levels, and as many as 5-6 levels, with a total of 30-40 ramets. After late September, the temperature drops significantly and tillering no longer occurs. Therefore, strive to obtain a certain reasonable number of ramets under suitable temperatures to ensure the number and quality of aboveground phyllodes. Water chestnuts should be transplanted at the end of July, and the latest transplantation should not be later than the beginning of autumn.

Nutritional value of water chestnuts

Nutritional Information

The phosphorus content in water chestnuts is higher than that in root vegetables. It can promote human growth and development and maintain physiological functions. It is very beneficial to the development of teeth and bones. At the same time, it can promote the metabolism of sugar, fat and protein in the body and regulate acid-base balance.

Water chestnuts are suitable for children because they are balanced. The British discovered a substance called "water chestnut" in their research on water chestnuts. This substance has a certain inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus aeruginosa and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and has a certain effect on lowering blood pressure. This substance also has a preventive and therapeutic effect on cancer.

Water chestnuts are tender and juicy, and can treat thirst caused by loss of body fluid due to fever. They also have a certain auxiliary therapeutic effect on diabetic patients with frequent urination.

Water chestnut decoction can promote diuresis and eliminate stranguria. It has a certain therapeutic effect on those with urinary incontinence and can be used as a dietary therapy for patients with urinary tract infection. Recent studies have found that water chestnuts contain an antiviral substance that can inhibit meningococcal and influenza viruses and can be used to prevent the spread of meningococcal and influenza viruses.

Effects of water chestnuts

Water chestnuts have a long history of being used as medicine. Chinese medicine believes that water chestnuts are sweet and cold in nature, and have the effects of clearing heat and resolving phlegm, appetizing and digesting food, promoting fluid and moistening dryness, improving eyesight and sobering up. They are clinically suitable for the treatment of yin deficiency and lung dryness, cough with phlegm, thirst and constipation, drunkenness and drowsiness. In the season of respiratory infectious diseases, eating water chestnuts is beneficial for the prevention and treatment of meningitis, measles, whooping cough and acute pharyngitis. In clinical Chinese medicine, water chestnuts are often used to make "Xue Geng Tang" to clear heat and remove phlegm, lower blood pressure and treat dry and hard stools. Antihypertensive effect: Water chestnut juice is added with fresh lotus root juice, pear juice, fresh reed root juice and ophiopogon juice, which is called "Five Juice Drink", which is used to promote fluid and eliminate heat and lower blood pressure.

To treat esophageal cancer: Steam 10 water chestnuts with the skin on and eat daily.

To treat sore throat: squeeze water chestnut juice and drink it cold, 125 grams each time.

To prevent influenza: 250 grams of fresh water chestnuts, 1 piece of sugarcane, cut into sections, put into a pot and boil, eat when cooked. It has the effect of clearing away heat and inflammation, promoting fluid and quenching thirst. It is suitable for treating irritability and thirst in the later stage of fever and persistent low fever, and can also prevent influenza.

Lifting bowels and facilitating bowel movements: Boil 500 grams of water chestnuts, mash them, add salt, ginger, and bean powder, squeeze them into balls, fry them, and then remove them. Thicken the sauce with cornstarch and pour it on the balls. It tastes delicious and smooth, can help digestion, stimulate appetite, and promote bowel movements.

Treatment of hemorrhoids: It is also very beneficial for patients with hemorrhoids to eat water chestnuts regularly.

Auxiliary treatment of cancer: Water chestnut also contains effective ingredients for preventing and treating cancer. It is mostly used in clinical treatment of lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and breast cancer. It is a very good auxiliary treatment food.

Reduce fever: Water chestnuts are cold foods, and have good effects of clearing away heat and purging fire. They can clear away heat and promote the production of body fluids, and can also supplement nutrition, making them most suitable for patients with fever. They also have the effects of cooling blood and detoxifying, promoting diuresis and relieving constipation, removing dampness and expectoration, and helping digestion and relieving bloating.

Measles: Boil water chestnuts or reed roots in water and drink it as tea, which can help measles break out early and recover early. It can also prevent complications.

Corns: 6 water chestnuts and 12 buckwheat grains. After washing your feet with warm water every night, use the tip of a needle to gently pick the corns (do not pick deeply) to remove the floating dirt. Put two buckwheat grains in your mouth and crush them with your front teeth to remove the soft black skin. Use your fingers to apply the buckwheat flour to the corns to fill them up. Then apply a little saliva to moisten the buckwheat. Also, cut the washed water chestnuts into pieces the size of the corns and as thick as a copper coin. Stick them on the buckwheat flour of the corns and wrap them with a thin cloth to prevent them from falling apart. Do this for a week and the corns will disappear without you noticing. This method has been proven time and time again and is quite effective.

Acute nephritis: One liang (four qian of dried product) of fresh water chestnut seedlings (Tongtiancao) and five qian of dried tangerine peel, decocted in water and taken orally. It can not only cure nephritis, but is also effective in eliminating edema.

Cataract: Using mashed water chestnut juice to drip into the eyes can achieve the effect of removing cataract.

Wind-fire red eyes (acute conjunctivitis): Wash and peel fresh water chestnuts, mash them, squeeze the juice with gauze, add a little salt and wash your eyes.

Kidney stones: 1. Peel off the skin of raw water chestnuts and eat one to three pounds of them raw every day. This method is effective for treating acidic kidney stones. 2. Boil water chestnuts, corn ears, and fossil grass (also known as true tube grass) in water and drink it instead of tea. It is effective for treating various stone diseases.

Dosage

1. Water chestnuts should not be eaten raw, because they grow in mud, and there may be more bacteria and parasites on the skin and inside, so they must be washed and cooked thoroughly before eating. 2. Cooked food is mostly used as an ingredient, and can also be fried, roasted or used as a filling. For example, "water chestnut fried shrimp", "water chestnut fried chicken", etc.

3. Water chestnut has good effect of clearing heat and purging fire; it is used for lung heat cough, phlegm and hard to cough: 1 cup of water chestnut juice, 1.5 grams of Fritillaria cirrhosa (ground into powder), mix well and take 2 to 3 times a day. It can clear heat and promote body fluid, and supplement nutrition, and is most suitable for patients with fever.

How to cook water chestnuts to get the highest nutritional value

1. Drying In the spring, the remaining large amount of water chestnuts are not easy to preserve. Farmers will expose the water chestnuts to the sun at home. This can make the water chestnuts preserved for a longer time, and the dried water chestnuts are sweeter and more delicious. 2. Make water chestnut powder Water chestnuts and lotus roots can both be made into powder and then brewed into a drink. People only know about lotus root powder, but few know about water chestnut powder ( commonly known as fruit powder in Wuwei, Anhui ) . Its production method is roughly the same as that of lotus root powder. It is thicker and more refreshing than lotus root powder when brewed into a drink. If it is scaled up, there will definitely be a broad market. 3. Water chestnuts can be eaten raw 4. Cooked food is mostly used as ingredients, but can also be fried, roasted or used as stuffing. For example, " water chestnuts fried with shrimps " and " water chestnuts fried with diced chicken " . 5. Water chestnut has a good effect of clearing away heat and purging fire ; it is used for lung heat cough, thick phlegm and difficult cough: 1 cup of water chestnut juice, Sichuan Fritillaria 1.5 g ( Grind into powder ) , mix well and take 2 to 3 times a day. It can clear away heat and promote body fluid, and also supplement nutrition. It is most suitable for patients with fever.